


Bewitched

by PhantomDreamshade



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, One-Sided Relationship, Slightly Tragic, happy valentine's day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 09:36:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13679040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomDreamshade/pseuds/PhantomDreamshade
Summary: The Hanging Man is in love, against all sense or reason. What dreary fate awaits him?





	Bewitched

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering why this ship is a thing, this is kind of a prequel to one of my chapters in another work called A Business Venture. That said, Happy Valentine's day, everyone.

The man’s spindly fingers gripped the base of the bouquet tightly in the hopes that its recipient wouldn’t touch them and feel how cold and clammy they were. There were six black lilies, three sprigs of baby’s breath, and a single crimson rose in the center. The florist had suggested seven lilies - odd numbers were better for the composition, she said - but the man knew that was a terrible idea. Six was fine and so was eight, but never,  _ ever _ seven.

He felt dizzy as he raised his hand to knock on the door. His knuckles hit the dark, polished wood softly - he could barely hear the sound himself. His hands started shaking as he prepared to knock again, but then the door flew open. He almost shrieked in surprise, but luckily the sound caught in his throat along with his breath.

She sat in front of her vanity, running a comb through her long, dark hair. The mirror was still broken, cracks scattering her reflection. Nonetheless, she continued combing, not even turning her head to acknowledge his existence. She was on the opposite end of the room as the door, and no one else was in the room.

The man came up with a thousand different words to say, but he gulped them all down and stood frozen in the doorway. They were useless around her - she always seemed to already know what he was going to say, or would just ignore him entirely.

“The door is open,” the Lady said. The man was entirely certain she could hear the frantic pounding of his heart as he stepped onto the room’s muted red carpet and next to her. She still did not acknowledge him.

“I brought you flowers,” he whispered, voice failing. His mouth felt dry. His lungs felt empty. His skin felt deathly cold and dripped with moisture. This was a terrible idea, such a terrible,  _ terrible _ idea.

The Lady gestured to the empty porcelain vase on the vanity with her pinky as she continued stroking her hair. The man placed the bouquet inside, quivering.

“You seem… nervous,” the Lady observed. She was mocking him, the man knew. He was always nervous. “Speak, or leave. I am busy.”

The man wondered if he was having a heart attack as he fell to one knee. He could have sworn the organ had stopped beating, strangled by his own terror. The Lady stopped combing as he pulled a small black box from his pocket and opened it.

“I want…” he breathed, trying to keep himself from fainting. The air; why was there no air in this room? “to ask… to ask…” The Lady rose from her chair. “To ask you to marry me.”

The silence in the room was so thick that the man thought he might be choking on it. “Interesting,” the Lady said at last.

He needed to say something. Anything. “You… you are the most beautiful creature to walk this earth,” he stuttered. “You are more radiant than the sun, more fair than the moon. I want to make you feel as beautiful as I believe you to be. Even if you cannot see it yourself.” He risked a glance at the broken mirror. He never understood why she broke them.

The man hated the mask. He could not see her lips, her eyes. He could not tell if she was smiling or frowning or surprised or indifferent or  _ anything _ . It was like she could see right through him, yet he could tell nothing about her.

“I did not know you were capable of this,” the Lady said. It was almost a chuckle. “I am a demanding woman. You know this.” The man nodded. “You must promise me something. You will love me above all things - all things you have, all things you will have, until the end of your days.”

The man nodded again, and the Lady extended her hand. He slipped the ring onto her finger - it was a simple band of silver with a single diamond set in it. He knew that she would prefer silver over gold. She raised her hand and studied the ring.

“At least you have learned a few things,” she said, looking at the ring and the flowers in turn. “Let us seal it.”

The man rose to his feet, and the Lady covered his eyes with one hand. He could hear her remove the mask with the other, and then she leaned up and brushed her lips against his. Gingerly, he laid his hands on her hips, not daring to pull her closer. Something was different. The room seemed dimmer, the air seemed colder, and his mind felt clearer. He could almost feel the color drain out of the world around him.

After what seemed like a breathless eternity, she pulled away, replaced the mask, and removed her hand from his eyes. He blinked them open.

“I am embarking on a new business venture,” the Lady said. You will meet me at the docks in two weeks’ time. We will have the wedding on the cruise.”

The man nodded numbly and left the room, to have the door slam behind him. He opened his palm - there was something in it that hadn't been there before. It was a tiny, pink lotus blossom. He brought his hand up to his nose and inhaled the scent - sweet and crisp.

His willowy knees finally gave out and he slid to the floor, exhausted. His mind screamed at him that this was a terrible idea; something dark festered within the Lady. There was a reason she appeared in his nightmares and not his dreams, his mind reasoned. The only thing that awaited him was misery.

He clutched the lotus to his heart and sighed. He knew all this. He knew it would end badly. He knew that she didn’t love him, and that she had only agreed to this for some other purpose. His heart already ached, and they weren't even wed.

But he loved her.


End file.
